Blog

Natural disasters. Mass shootings. Epidemics. Economic crisis. When tragic things happen in the world both people of faith and skeptics ask tough questions. Most often, it’s some version of “is this event God’s judgment, or punishment, on humanity?” In this post, we’ll unpack that question.

What Causes Suffering in the World?

As you and I process crisis in our world today, we have to consider that there are a number of factors simultaneously contributing to the brokenness we experience in this world at any given moment.

Satan opposes God’s purposes and opposes people coming to know God. (1 Peter 5:8). Humans sin, naturally producing negative consequences that can affect us, our relationship with God and others, and our world. (Genesis 3 // Romans 5)

Creation groans (think natural disasters), waiting to be redeemed from the effects of sin at the return of Jesus. (Romans 8:18-25) All these things will get increasingly more intense the closer we get to Jesus’ return. (Matthew 24 // Luke 21)

Let’s look at the common places we see God’s judgment in the Bible and what those passages mean for us today.

God’s Judgment in the Old Testament: Israel

One place we see God’s judgment is in the Old Testament in His dealings with the nation of ancient Israel when they strayed from relationship with Him.

God entered into a unique agreement, or covenant, with Israel. He set them apart from all other nations as His own people to know Him, keep His law, reveal Him to the nations and bring forth His promised Savior, Jesus. The covenant laid out all the guidelines for relationship with God until the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan–the coming of Jesus.

Obedience to those commands brought blessings. Disobedience to those commands brought curses or judgments, which God used to turn His people away from their stubborn rebellion to again follow Him and walk in His ways. (Deuteronomy 28-30) If you’ve ever wondered what all the intense prophecies about famine and military invasion etc. in the Old Testament prophetic books are all about, that’s it. (Jeremiah 11)

The Old Testament prophets forewarned Israel when their rebellion against God and His covenant put them in danger of His judgment. They also encouraged Israel with hope for God’s commitment to them even in their failure and for restoration if they would repent and turn back to Him.

An important note before we move on: The way we see God’s judgments functioning in the Old Testament was unique to God’s covenant with the nation of Israel–the old covenant. Their relationship with God and their atonement for sin was based on them keeping the Mosaic law, with all it’s blessings for obedience and judgments for disobedience, until Jesus would come to institute a new covenant of salvation for all people through faith in Him. This new covenant did away with the old one. (Galatians 3:23-26 // Hebrews 8:13)

So, while we can learn eternal principles from these biblical accounts about God’s character and how He responds to human sin (especially national sin), the outworking of those principles in specific situations would look a little different for us today. More on that later.

God’s Judgment in the End-Times: The Return of Jesus

Another place we see God’s judgment in the Bible is surrounding end-time prophecy and Jesus’ physical return to earth at the end of this age. (Acts 17:30-31) At this time, a few things will happen.

Every person who has rejected Jesus will be subject to the eternal consequences of their choices. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10) Jesus will destroy Satan and remove all sinful ways and sinful world systems. He’ll eliminate pain and suffering in the world forever. He’ll replace all of it with His presence, peace and righteousness when He rules the world as King. Can you imagine how amazing that’s going to be?! (Revelation 19-22)

Yes, the judgments surrounding all this will be intense. Thankfully, Scripture is pretty clear about how to discern when that season of human history is upon us and about what the judgments of God upon sin will look like when they happen in that context. So, there’s not a whole lot of room to get lost in unhelpful speculation about whether a crisis in present day is an end-time judgment unfolding. When we’re in that end-time season of history, you’ll know. 😉

*More of the Bible’s teaching on Jesus’ return and what judgments in the end times will look like: Matthew 24-25, Luke 21, 1 Thessalonians 4-2 Thessalonians 2, Daniel 7-12 and Revelation 

Does God Punish the World through Tragedy and Crisis?

Before the events surrounding the return of Christ start to clearly unfold, however, there’s not a reason to speculate that every bad thing that happens in the world is God pouring out wrath on some people group or nation or whatever the case may be.

When Jesus came to earth at His first coming, He explained it this way: He came into the world to save it, not judge it. Those who reject Him and His message will be judged on the appointed  day of judgment at His return. (John 3:16-20  // John 12:44-50 // Acts 17:30-31  // Romans 2:1-11)

Because God loves humanity so much, He sent Jesus to die on the cross in our place, rise again and ascend to Heaven as the perfect offering for our sins. He did this so we could know Him personally, be forgiven of our sins, and experience eternal life with God after death. Now, anyone who puts their faith in Jesus, turns from their sins, and follows Him with their life can access this incredible gift of God called salvation.

So for right now, in between Jesus’ first and second comings, He is working to save the world, not condemn it. He is working to reconcile people to Himself through the message of the gospel. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

What is God’s Role in Crisis?

God isn’t necessarily causing the hardship in our world today, but that doesn’t mean He’s totally uninvolved. God works through the personal and societal trials that occur in our lives.

Sometimes God lets us experience the brokenness of creation. Sometimes God lets us experience the natural negative consequences of human sin (our own or others). Sometimes God lets us experience Satan’s attack. And in God’s infinite wisdom and love He uses those situations for His purposes. How so?

In some cases (typically national or global crises), God uses the pressure created by crisis circumstances to lovingly refine and correct His Church and to awaken people who don’t know Him. He uses it to get our attention and turn the hearts of believer and unbeliever to Him in a fresh way. The result is repentance, realignment with God and His ways, and spiritual maturity.

In other cases (typically personal trials), God’s work through the hardships in our life isn’t about bringing correction. Sometimes tough stuff just happens. Trials and sorrows touch our lives because the world is broken. (John 16:33)

God tenderly comforts us in hard seasons. He often rescues us from troubles, and He always  redeems trials for a good purpose in us and others somehow. The Bible says that God is near to us in troubles and that they produce in us a refined faith, strengthened character, spiritual maturity and a deepened hope in eternity. (Psalm 91:15 // Romans 5:3-5 // James 1:2-4 // 1 Peter 1:3-7)

The lesson for us is that God has a purpose in the hardships He allows us to experience. We’re called to be attentive to how He might be working through those situations and how He might be calling us to respond to Him, as He empowers us to do so.

To study this topic further:

• How Should Christians Respond to the Coronavirus Pandemic?
• If You’re Not A Christian, Here’s Some Spiritual Perspective for the Coronavirus Pandemic
• ‘I Still Believe’ and How God Redeems Trials in Our Lives

Let’s Talk: How has this conversation helped you process the concept of God’s judgment? Discuss this post in the comments below.

[wpsite_follow_us_badges title=”Connect Personally With Me On Social Media!” twitter=”jasminonsocial” facebook=”jasminonsocial” order=”facebook,twitter” twitter_followers_count_display=true twitter_link=false]